Shattered Stars and Hidden Scars
by hipster4lyfe
Summary: Four meets Hazel on an airplane. Takes place after the end of Allegiant and tFIOS. The fault is not in our stars, Tobias, but in ourselves. DISCLAIMER: I never own anything but my storylines :) Enjoy and please review!
1. Chapter 1

I slowly open one eye, only to clench it shut again. The height is sickening and I wonder, for the hundredth time, why I even set foot on one of these metal death-birds when I had the choice.

There's a girl next to me, but I hadn't noticed until now. I was too busy trying not to lose my lunch. Turning away from the window, I fully open my eyes and they travel from her oxygen tank and beat up sneakers to the tube under her nose, her short, dark blonde hair, and finally come to rest on her piercing blue eyes. A stabbing sensation tears through me like I just stuck a fork in an electrical outlet. I look down at the blue and navy pattern of the floor.

"You look much better when you aren't thinking about puking."

Then it hits me. The pain comes back, surging through my veins stronger than before. My heart thuds inside my chest.

I know why being around her hurts so much.

She reminds me of Tris.


	2. Chapter 2

She coughs, as I've forgotten that she's there. Masking a grimace, I look up into her clear blue eyes.

"Hi. I'm Hazel Gr—Hazel." There's a flash of pain in her face, but it disappears just as quickly as it had come.

The socially acceptable thing now would be for me to introduce myself. Problem is, I don't know what to say.

Four is the name that I love, because it's a testimony to the strongest parts of me. My few fears. The defiance of my father. It is the name I chose.

But Tobias is real. He has felt pain, and can identify with her.

I know I should say that my name is Tobias, but a deep ache reminds me that's what Tris called me, and in a wave of anxiety, I say, "Four," and reach out to shake her hand.

Her fingers are cold, but her grip is strong. "Four, huh? Cool name." She seems more distant now, as if she can sense that I'm hiding who I really am, refusing to be vulnerable with her.

I look down once again. "Look, I—," Then freezing up, I turn my head so I won't have to finish my thought. I am punished by the wave of nausea that crashes over me, a silent reminder not to look out the window ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm not sure how long she has been looking, but when I finally suppress the tornado in my stomach, I find blue eyes fixed on me, seeming to slice through the lies and the masks and the muscles, trying to see the real person beneath.

"Well?" She asks.

My embarrassment disappears, and I find myself staring back at her with the same curiosity that seems to be seeping through her skin.

"Well what?"

"I have a feeling you were about to make a great revelation before you almost puked. And also I don't think your real name is Four."

"And I have a feeling that you should avoid being nosy."

Hazel is silent for a moment, and I think she has given up.

"How long ago did she die?"

My heart stops, then feels as if engulfed in flame, a fire fueled by anger and grief and love.

I can't move.

I can't think.

But my brain won't stop.

Days and nights fly through my mind at breakneck speed: a slideshow screaming of passionate, beautiful, perfect love ended too soon.

And all at once,

It's too much.


	4. Chapter 4

"H-how how did you—", the words catch in my throat, and I cough.

"I can see well enough when someone is dealing with the same pain I am." Hazel seems to slink back, withdrawing into heart-wrenching memories of her own.

It's then that I decide I can trust her. "Six months." I say, eyes fixed on the blue carpet pattern of the seat in front of me.

"Eight."

"What?"

"Oh. I mean mine. I mean… Gus—Augustus. He died eight months ago yesterday."

I have no idea what to say, so I just sit there, staring silently at my hands.

"What was she like?" Hazel asks, then quietly adds, "It really is easier if you tell someone instead of trying to keep it all down inside."

The flight attendant walks up at that moment, asking if we want anything to drink. Hazel turns to me, "Champagne?"

I frown, pushing away the thoughts of Tris, and whisper, "Don't you have to be twenty-one to drink here?" hoping the attendant won't hear.

She either ignores my question or doesn't hear it, and orders a glass of champagne. The flight attendant throws her a wary look and asks, "Can I see your ID?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hazel whips out a plastic card and hands it to her. All right then… Mrs. Lancaster… one glass of champagne, coming right up. And for you, Mr. Lancaster?"

I hope the woman misses the flash of alarm that momentarily passes over my face.

"Um… I'll have the same." I reply, coolly.

"Here you go, Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster. Enjoy the rest of your flight." She hands us the little bottles and two plastic cups.

As soon as the attendant is out of earshot, I whip around to hiss, "Let me see that ID."

Hazel grins devilishly, "Sure, Mr. Lancaster."

I glare, as she hands me the plastic card. It belongs to a Hazel Lancaster, who is married, and twenty-six years old. The picture appears to be a slightly older version of Hazel, but as I look closer, I can see that the picture is definitely a different woman.

"Hazel, where did you even get this?" I say, a little too loud.

She explains that her mother took her to an amusement park when she was younger where you could make ID cards.

"They were just for fun, and they have 'Super Fun Land' written on the back." I check to verify her story. Sure enough, there is an amusement park logo on the back of the card.

"Anyway, they wouldn't let me make one on my own because I was only five years old. So, my mother put her picture and information in so that I could still have a card with my name on it."

I shake my head in disbelief. "Are people here really that stupid?"

She frowns, "Where _are_ you from, anyway?" Then, as if just remembering the champagne, her eyes light up and she pops the cork. "Your drink, monsieur. And I believe you were going to tell me about her."


	6. Chapter 6

When she has poured her drink, we clink glasses and she takes a sip, closing her eyes and smiling. "Stars."

I frown, "Am I supposed to know what that means?"

Her eyes fly open and she laughs nervously. "No. It's just—something from the past."

"Oh." I sip my tiny glass of airplane champagne.

"So. Her."

"Yeah…" I take a deep breath to start describing her, but I can't start talking. Where do you start when you're telling someone about the most amazing person who ever lived, the greatest adventure you've ever had? How do you explain a love so unfathomably strong that it withstood torrents of pain?

"I can't." I turn away from her as my vision blurs.


	7. Chapter 7

"He was tall," She starts. "He smelled like freshly cut grass and basketball courts. He was my best friend." She paused, "I can't explain it all… I think you understand that. But I want everyone to know that Augustus was the best thing that ever happened to me. He's the reason I was ever able to get on an airplane. Augustus helped me live my dreams, and we made new ones to chase. That's the only way I can keep living without him."

As I close my eyes, Hazel's words mingle with the sweet sound of Tris' laugh. "She's right, Tobias," Tris whispers, and her face fades away as a tear falls from my chin to the floor.

I know I have to keep living.

I'm trying.

But I wish it wasn't so hard.


	8. Chapter 8

At first I think Hazel is done talking, but she's not.

"Four," She starts, "I believe that we all have things we hide deep down inside. Things that hurt so bad that we think people will turn away if we show our pain." Inhales. Exhales. "We've got something beautiful, but it's been broken."

"Shattered stars." I say under my breath.

"Yeah," She breathes, reaching for my hand. "And hidden scars." The touch shocks me, and I recoil my hand in reflex.

"I'm sorry, I just—,"

"Shhh… It's okay." Hazel says with a half-smile.

The intercom crackles, and the pilot announces that we are beginning our descent.

"Hey," I look up at her, "Thank you. For everything."

"Anytime, Four."

"Tobias. It's Tobias."

Hazel grins, "Tobias."

As she walks off the airplane, I watch her go.

Thin, small frame.

Well-worn converse.

Crystal blue eyes.

And I wonder if, maybe, we choose to keep them.

Maybe shattered stars and hidden scars are shadows of love.


End file.
